Believe it or not, there are still some people that do not use mobile apps, at least for now. Unless you do not have a smartphone, computer, tablet or a pulse you, are witnessing one of the biggest transitions in the history of technology - the transition from the traditional internet to the mobile internet. The general assumption is that within the next 5-7 years every website will have an accompanying native mobile app. It would seem that a topic this important would be getting more interest in the news.
Internet use from mobile devices is now approaching 20% of the total internet activity in the United States and that number is growing rapidly. One of the major problems we are seeing in the app world is discoverability. This is not only a problem for the developers that make the apps, but also the end user. As it stands right now, developers and app lovers alike share the same core issue - finding quality apps.
It has been estimated that the end user spends anywhere from 3-10 minutes finding the right app for his current desire. To add to that number, most smartphone owners have approximately 20-40 apps. This means the average smartphone users are spending a couple of hours away from their families, jobs and lives just to download apps. Do we really have this much time in a day to waste?
Developers, on the other hand, are experiencing a major problem from the moment their apps hit the market - finding new customers. They are buried by the bigger apps that are spending, some of them, $ 100,000 a day to remain at the top of the search features in the app stores. Do developers have this much money to burn?
Here is the landscape of mobile app discovery as it stands today.
The number one method (by users) for finding new apps is through the Apple and Android App Stores themselves. These businesses, as it is today, are virtual monopolies on the app market. Apple and Google (especially Apple) are acting like mafia bosses and making a killing doing it. Right now, most people are downloading the apps they see when they open the App Stores, period. The good news for all of us is that this is the top method of app discovery by only a small margin.
A very close second method is via Social Media or Word of Mouth. People have always, and will always, buy things that their friends recommend to them. Mobile apps are no different. In fact, mobile apps may be the new baseline product for word of mouth sales in the future. It is easy to see how effective this discovery method is - just check your own phone and see how many of your apps were mentioned to you by your friends.
For those who don't use the app store search or word of mouth, it is safe to assume they are using online blogs to discover new and useful apps. For others, discovering new apps may typically include searching online, watching YouTube videos, reading walk-throughs of games or getting an app that actually recommends new apps (these are being banned by Apple).
Although there are many unknowns in mobile marketing, one thing that has proven to be effective in mobile advertising through banners has been the promotion of other apps and content. Those who find new apps this way are the developers' dreams. Users finding apps through mobile ads have become the fourth most popular form of discovery in the market today. In the end, users are spending way too much time looking for new apps and developers are spending too much money trying to find new users.
I aid companies in capitalizing on mobile app search and recommendation. A leader in this field is www.mimvi.com.
Orignal From: Mobile App Search Dilemma: Where's the App I Need (Part One)
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